Donald Trump for the Iowa Caucusepaselect epa05132500 Businessman and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks to supporters on the Drake University campus at a special event to benefit veterans after skipping the Fox News GOP debate in Des Moines, Iowa, 28 January 2016. The Iowa Caucus will be held 01 February 2016 and is the first official test of candidates seeing their parties nominations. EPA/LARRY W. SMITH
Photograph: Larry W. Smith/EPA

As part of political media’s never-ending quest to answer the question, “Just who is voting for Donald Trump?”, CNN talked to more than 150 people around the country about why they’re throwing their support behind the billionaire Republican frontrunner.

“In school we learned about how America was great you know back in... back in a while ago, or whenever...” - Brody buck, 18.

Turner Eakins, Brody Buck and Tate Moyer are a trio of 18-year-old first-time voters in Omaha, Nebraska, who told CNN that Trump’s confidence, dismissal of “quote-unquote political correctness” and general badassery have won their hearts and votes.

With the gusto of three models in the pre-scene introduction of a Sean Cody video, Eakins, Buck and Moyer say that Trump, like themselves, is a man of action.

Turner Eakins told CNN that he respects women, no matter how many times he uses the word “schlonged.”

They’re also big on wearing incredibly tight shirts.

Take that, #BernieBros.

Moyer isn’t totally sure about Trump...

Fair point.

...but as my father once said, “If you don’t want to go to Minneapolis, then don’t get on the train.”

Losing the frontman

What will it be like to watch the Republican presidential candidates take the stage without frontman Donald Trump? Will the act be as good? Will they deliver the same boost that fans have come to expect and love?

Or will the thrill not quite be the same? The pixie dust gone? The old hits tinged with loss?

There’s a long trail of uneven precedent to point to here. AC/DC continued to tour after the death of Bon Scott; Pink Floyd forged on without Roger Waters; Van Halen persevered after losing David Lee Roth. The list extends: Queen without Mercury, Fleetwood Mac without Christine McVie, Lynyrd Skynyrd without everyone...some succeeded, and some crashed and burned.

But the Republican field is not a band. (Yet.) They’re closer, perhaps, to a beloved situation comedy.

So perhaps it is more apt to contemplate (and here a big h/t @rayajalabi) Laverne and Shirley without Cindy Williams (Shirley); American Office without Steve Carrell; House without Lisa Edelstein; Downton without Dan Stevens; The OC without Marisa (RIP Mischa Barton); Two and a Half Men without Charlie Sheen; ER without Anthony Edwards (!); Law & Order SVU without Stabler, Buffythe Vampire Slayer without David Boreanaz (!!); or That 70s Show without Topher Grace.

Also to be carefully considered, however, is the flip side: that the comparison to be made here is not to the act that continues after losing its lead – but to the lead who soars after going solo.

The Guardian’s Ben Jacobs has confirmed that Donald Trump will not be making a last-minute change to his schedule and will not be attending tonight’s Republican primary debate in Des Moines - sorry, Jeb Bush.

Ben Jacobs (@Bencjacobs)

Trump campaign just confirmed to me that he WILL NOT participate in Fox News debate tonight

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Once again, after political analysts and media experts declared for months that there was no possible way that Donald Trump was going to do the thing that he was threatening to do, Donald Trump did the thing that he was threatening to do. You’d think we’d have learned by now.

Here’s what you need to know about Donald Trump’s debate counter-programming:

What is it?

The candidate is billing the event as the “Donald J. Trump Special Event to Benefit Veterans Organizations,” with proceeds from tonight’s event apparently being directed towards the the Donald J. Trump Foundation’s work on veterans services. (Given that tickets to the event, held at the 775-seat Sheslow Auditorium at Drake University, are being given away for free, it’s unclear where the proceeds will come from.)

The Donald J. Trump Foundation traditionally gives only a tiny fraction of its total donations to veterans organizations. Between 2009 and 2013, it gave $57,000 of $5.5m to veterans groups; the rest went to 291 other organizations. (Trump himself has made no charitable contributions to his own foundation since 2008, as of last August.)

How to watch:

Corey Lewandoski, Trump’s campaign manager, has invited the press to cover the fundraiser as closely as they wish. “It’s open the media and obviously as all of Mr. Trump’s speeches are if the networks choose to come and cover that we obviously would welcome that opportunity,” Lewandowski told Breitbart News. “If they want to live feed or live stream that, they’re welcome to do that as they do many of his speeches.”

The two non-Fox News cable news networks have both intimated that they plan to cover Trump’s event - at least in part - although neither network will pre-empt regularly scheduled programming. If you want wall-to-wall coverage, however, C-SPAN will be streaming the rally live at 9pm Eastern, with a “pre-program” at 8pm Eastern.

Who will be there?

The Donald himself, obviously, but the Republican frontrunner will be joined by two other presidential candidates. Former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee and former senator Rick Santorum - winners of the 2008 and 2012 Iowa caucuses, respectively - will attend the event after participating in tonight’s undercard debate on Fox News. Representatives for both campaigns told the New York Times’ Maggie Haberman that they’re attending purely to support US veterans, the putative beneficiaries of Trump’s event. Huckabee clarified that his attendance is “not an endorsement of Trump’s candidacy,” telling CNN’s Wolf Blitzer that he’s “still running for president.” (Our analysis: If you have to say it...)

Why is this happening, again?

Why isn’t it happening?

Basically, Trump is still sore about Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly’s introductory line of questioning at the Republican presidential debate in Cleveland, Ohio, in August, wherein the anchor grilled Trump on his history of offensive statements about women. The two have been engaged in a highly public feud ever since, with Trump insinuating that Kelly was menstruating during the debate and Kelly’s attempts to take the high road thwarted by Fox News boss Roger Ailes’ snarky press release dismissing Trump’s threats to ditch the debate.

Trump, after conducting an informal Twitter poll, decided not to attend the debate unless Kelly was replaced as moderator, which Fox News has refused to do.

Hello! And welcome to our live-wire coverage of the seventh Republican debate in the 2016 race to the White House. Tonight we’re in Des Moines, Iowa, where voters will set the wheel of history in motion when they gather to caucus in just four days.

Donald Trump, the free-floating GOP frontrunner, has ostentatiously ditched tonight’s debate as a demonstration of his disgust with host network Fox News and one of its moderators, Megyn Kelly.

The Donald has scheduled a simultaneous event in Des Moines, billed as a benefit for military veterans – which means it’s Republican fight night on the plains of Iowa and in the streets of Des Moines. His fellow candidates Mike Huckabee and Rick Santorum have promised to join him – but only after they have competed in the consolation-prize undercard debate for Fox.

So tonight, for our readers, it’s two blogs for the price of one. While I (Tom McCarthy) bring you play-by-play of the debate, my colleague Scott Bixby will bring you coverage of the Trump event. It’ll be like channel surfing, without all the taxing effort of diddling the remote control.

Here’s Scott:

It’s going to be a huge (yooge!) night in Des Moines, where only three miles from Fox News’ prime-time Republican presidential debate, Trump will be hosting a concurrent “special event”. Like a journalistic Katniss Everdeen, I have volunteered as tribute to bring you analysis and insight into the real estate tycoon’s every utterance, eye roll and insult from a rally every bit as unmissable as the Hunger Games.

… interlacing with which I, Tom, will ensure that you miss not a moment as the rest of the Republican field attempts to fill Trump’s shoes.

Boring details

When: The undercard debate begins at 7pm ET, and the main event starts at 9pm ET.

Where: The Iowa Events Center in Des Moines, Iowa. Fox News will broadcast the event and stream it liveon their website here.

Who: The main event features:

Jeb Bush, former governor of Florida

Ben Carson, retired neurosurgeon

Chris Christie, governor of New Jersey

Ted Cruz, US senator from Texas

John Kasich, governor of Ohio

Rand Paul, US senator from Kentucky

Marco Rubio, US senator from Florida

Donald Trump, real estate developer and reality show star

Moderators: Bret Baier, Megyn Kelly, Chris Wallace

The undercard features:

Carly Fiorina, former CEO of Hewlett-Packard

Jim Gilmore, former governor of Virginia

Mike Huckabee, former governor of Arkansas

Rick Santorum, former US senator from Pennsylvania

Moderators: Martha MacCallum, Bill Hemmer

Why: Indeed.

Please jump into the comments section and let us know who you expect to emerge on top when all the smoke has cleared. Thanks for joining us!